Significant technical advances in the public switched telephone network (PSTN) have permitted toll-free service subscribers to overcome a disincentive that the public has to making long distance calls, namely the charge for the long distance call. The toll-free service was dramatically improved by Roy Weber's invention described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,191,860 entitled DATA BASE COMMUNICATION CALL PROCESSING METHOD. Weber introduced a toll-free call processing method that uses a database lookup for toll-free number translation. Weber's invention led to many beneficial improvements in toll-free service. Principally, because toll-free directory numbers are translated at the database, there is no need for the toll-free directory numbers to be associated with equipment terminations in the PSTN. The flexibility of distributing calls according to any predefined criteria, was thus enabled. Specifically, a company can now decide to have selected calls directed to a given department, a call center, or distributed among different numbers or call centers, depending on the time of day, area of call origination, caller profile/history, or any other criterion for which information is available.
While this has significantly improved toll-free service, difficulties remain with enabling the public to use toll-free directory numbers. One reason is that even though toll-free numbers are dissociated from PSTN terminations, they must still be looked up or remembered before a toll-free call can be made. Toll-free service providers have tried to make the service more convenient for the public by providing toll-free numbers that are associated with a brand, trademark or company name. These numbers are more easily remembered than are regular 10 digit numbers. The association is made between the letters and numbers on a standard phone keypad, on which each digit corresponds to three letters. For example, 1-800-356-9377 can represent 1-800-flowers. However, the use of an association of the letters with the digits on a telephone keypad severely limits the quantity of possible unique numbers, making those numbers highly valuable commodities that are available to only a select few.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,282,574 which issued Aug. 28, 2001 to Voit is entitled METHOD, SERVER AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM FOR NAME TRANSLATION ON A CONDITIONAL BASIS-AND/OR TO A TELEPHONE NUMBER. The patent describes an enhanced name translation server, for use on a packet data network such as the Internet, that executes a conditional analysis in response to at least some queries or requests for name translations, specifically Internet domain name translations. For example, the server may return a different destination address at different times or in response to translation requests from different terminals. The server can also query a primary destination terminal device, and conditions the response to the calling terminal on the status of the primary terminal. For example, if the primary terminal is live the server forwards the address of that terminal to the calling terminal device to set up communications. Otherwise, the server returns alternate destination address information. The server also supports a variety of different types of translations, including domain name to address, domain name to telephone number, and telephone number to address. However, Voit fails to provide any solution that is useful for toll-free service subscribers, especially those who are not in possession of a domain name.
PCT application PCT/US98/01419 entitled CIRCUIT-SWITCHED CALL SETUP USING A PACKET-SWITKCHED ADDRESS SUCH AS AN INTERNET ADDRESS OR THE LIKE describes a method and apparatus for setting up a telephone connection using an e-mail address. A character string is entered into an electronic system such as a personal computer, a deskset, smartphone, or a cellular smartphone. A determination is made as to whether the character string is a telephone number. If so, a desired telecommunications connection is established directly using the telephone number. If not, a preliminary telecommunications connection is established using the character string. The preliminary telecommunications connection may be to a mail server or a Web server. During the course of the preliminary telecommunications connection, a telephone number is received. Preferably, the first thing the user receives back is what the user wants, a phone number without any intermediate interaction. The telephone number is then used to establish the desired telecommunications connection. The method may be entirely automated to achieve in effect an Internet-based, world-wide, distributed telephone directory. However, this application likewise fails to provide any solution that facilitates toll-free call completion.
There is; therefore, a need for a system that simplifies toll-free calling by dissociating the toll-free call initiation process from dependence on any telephone number assignment, and even the numbering plan used in the PSTN.